Mike Perry/KTVB

A technician works to remove tattoos from former gang member Chris. The removal is part of a ministry program to provide funding to former gang members to get the visible signs of their past removed.

BOISE - For many - a tattoo is a symbol of who they are and what they represent.

But in the case of some, getting rid of the ink helps remove the reminders of a life they left behind.

Now one local ministry is aiming to be another step in the rehabilitation of former gang members.

Chris, who asked us not to use his last name, was in his 20's when he became a member of the Aryan brotherhood.  As part of the group, he tattooed symbols that represented white power - words and signs that to Chris meant superiority.

“(I) wanted to be somebody amongst a bunch of nobodies,” he said.

Years later, and now in his 30's, Chris wants them gone.

It's unusual to see his upper body exposed.  He pointed out some of the things he’s hoping to have removed.

"I have three Klan members underneath my arm, for the KKK and I have a Nazi soldier underneath this arm.”

He said the ink is a status symbol in prison.

Mike Perry/KTVB

“Out here, I always wonder what people were thinking.”

Getting the tattoos removed is costly, so Chris needed financial help.  Peter and Jeri Vasquez founders of Second Chance Grace Ministries provided that support.

The two created a program that helps people like Chris remove a part of their past to get on with the future.

"We saw a lot of people that were being released from corrections or changed their lives that had gang tattoos,  tattoos that weren't reflecting their current lifestyle,” Jeri Vasquez said.

With the help of Eagle River Medical Aesthetics and its state of the art technology, co-owner Joe Laragan is removing the hateful tattoos.

"Peter and Jeri are handling the spiritual part, and we are going to help them with physical and emotional issues," Laragan said.

"The people that we will serve is the people that have a serious change of heart, that they're not that person anymore, they are not the person who is the gang name on their arm," Jeri Vasquez said.

“Sad girl” is written across 25-year old Mickie Rios' arm.  She says it's a word that doesn't represent her, and the image she wants to portray.

"I associate with different people, I don't hang around gang members, I go to church now, and I never went to church before,” Rios said.

A mother of three, and daycare provider, Rios said the tattoos affect her job and most importantly her family.

"My kids come first and I want to be a good role model for them,” Rios said. “I don't want them to think it's okay because it's not. I want a better life for them.”

It's a painful process, but in the end it will help erase painful memories.

"I felt great, it's painful, but it's worth it, I just know it's going to be gone eventually and I feel good about that," Rios said. "I won't be marked anymore, kind of a new symbol of having a new me.”

Making tattoo removal affordable is costly for Peter and Jeri. They are looking for help to cover the costs of the procedure.

For more information on how to help and how to qualify for the tattoo removal program, go to ktvb.com and click hotlinks.

See the removal process